Saturday, November 28, 2009

Billy Bob and Krista go to Vegas

Billy Bob Bryant, originally from Glen Rose, Texas, is perhaps the toughest character I have created yet. A star in both pro football and the rodeo circuit, he is known for legendary feats in both. He is responsible for legendary feats that rival those attributed to Chuck Norris and Mr. T. No one can bring him down or intimidate him, no matter what.

But, as I wrote in Chapter 10, he also has a soft side. He saved the life of a teenage girl when he was not yet a man himself. The two would later marry and have a son.

Now, Billy Bob Bryant and Krista Bamburg are both headed for the National Finals Rodeo, next week in Las Vegas, Nevada. They will compete in, respectively, bull riding and barrel racing.

Bryant was at a disadvantage trying to qualify for the NFR because he had only a few months to score enough points in qualifying events during the football off-season. But somehow, he pulled it off. Even though the football season is winding down, and the Texas Defenders are headed back to the playoffs, Bryant still plans to leave the team to compete in the NFR.

According to Billy Bob, "Coach Bubba [McDaniel] has given me permission to go to Vegas for the event. The league final will take place on Dec. 19, and Billy Bob will be back for that if we make it that far. Until then, hopefully we'll win without them." Bryant will play in the opening round against the Bitterroot Banshees this weekend before leaving for Vegas.

While Billy Bob will make his NFR debut, Krista has been there before; in fact, she is the defending champion in barrel racing. The title is based on earnings over 10 rounds of competition, and last year she pocketed over $150,000 during the period.

"Last year was the greatest feeling I have had in my career, but this is even better," says Bamburg, originally from Coushatta, Louisiana. "My husband is with me this year for some support. This is a crucial year as I defend my title in barrel racing, and also for him as he is in the NFR for the first time. We definitely need to support each other."

Television coverage begins at 10 p.m. Eastern time on December 3 on ESPN Classic, with an overnight re-air on ESPN2.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Buddy's holiday notes

Wow! I see that there has been another long gap, so my character has a lot to report.

  • My marriage to Brittany went well! About 120 people came by to see it, and even Shayla was there. It was a day full of music, ceremony and celebration. Our wedding was especially meaningful as it will probably be the last one ever staged in our corner of Heaven. The Book of Revelation tells of the symbolic wedding between Jesus Christ and his followers, and that's supposed to replace the human institution. But Brittany wanted this so badly, and an exception was made for us.
  • Speaking of Brittany, congratulations to Taylor Swift. In a previous website dedicated to me, there was casting of a film about my life. Swift, who was a rookie in country music back then, played Brittany's role. Well, today Swift has crossed over to pop music and is a best-selling artist, and last Sunday night she won the Artist of the Year from the American Music Awards. And this time, no one disrupted her on stage. Kanye West is one rude dog!:(
  • Jimmie Johnson has won his fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The meaning of this is not lost on me or anyone else who follows the sport of stock-car racing. It was not too long ago that I thought so little of his talents, and so insistent of him only being a star due to his connections with Jeff Gordon, that I called him "J.J. The Protégé." Now Johnson deserves a new nickname: "All Time Legend."
  • Happy Thanksgiving to all of you Americans out there. Take a moment to share the blessings of your life with your family and friends, because, believe me, all of us have them. It may be harder to find in these days and times; then again, it makes this holiday even more special.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The ideal NASCAR world

Now, as promised, Buddy Wayne gives his ideas to make NASCAR a better place.

NASCAR has been the love of my life. Ever since I watched my first race as a boy, before I could remember anything, it was a world I wanted so much to be a part of.

But now, something is different, something is missing. The races are boring, the drivers are bland, and no one is watching. And still, NASCAR insists that the one magic solution is just around the corner. Maybe it's the arrival of Danica Patrick, or a slick new marketing campaign. Or is it returning to its roots, as current leader Brian France has suggested.

Ah, I think that's it. Of course, we can't completely replicate the past, but we can take the best of it and make it the blueprint for the future.

Here's the plan that I have:
  • Chase away the Chase for the Sprint Cup. This attempt at a playoff is the "cure worse than the disease." It has segregated the 43 drivers who start each race into haves and have-nots, thereby concentrating all media attention on the Chase qualifiers. Worse, the Chase has not resulted in increased attendance or television ratings. NASCAR ratings on television have gone down every year. As for the rest of the media, it is still far more likely to discuss pro and college football and baseball playoffs than racing.
  • Make it 1996 all over again. In other words, reduce the schedule to 30 races, and try to duplicate it as much as possible. That year, there was a real balance of short tracks, longer tracks, and road courses. Although I understand that the track owners wanted to expand to more places to keep up with demand, the results were OK at best and dismal at worst. Only Las Vegas has continued to be a success over time, while Texas has been hurt by expansion, and Auto Club, Chicagoland, Homestead, and Kansas have added nothing to the mix. All these tracks are the same size and were also built for IndyCar races. Keep them open, but have them run open wheels only, except maybe for Vegas.
  • "Run what you brung" should be back. Maybe the cars shouldn't look exactly like those on the road, but duplicate as many features as possible. That alone should save teams millions of dollars in expenses. Also, make the design flexible so that crew chiefs can innovate with the cars.
  • Let the drivers be human. In other words, encourage drivers to be themselves, instead of sponsor-driven clones who are politically correct. Role models should include Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Marcos Ambrose.
  • Television coverage should change drastically. Reduce the length of pre-race shows and ensure at least a half-hour after the race for extensive coverage and interviews. Once the green flag drops, cover the race and not what you think will happen in a "script." Cut back on commercial breaks; those sponsor graphics should be enough.
I'm sure there are more things I could come up with, but these are the most important things.

As my character would say, "That's my ideal world. What's yours?"

Thursday, November 5, 2009

A 'friend' in the media, and a preview

Bill Fleischmann is the NASCAR writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is also a collector of some of the kinds of names that I wrote about in my second post. Because Buddy Wayne is at the intersection of those two things, I have every reason to believe that he would have been a huge fan of my character.

His latest column is here. He begins with a few steps he would take to improve NASCAR.

And that has inspired me. Sometime this week, I'm going to "channel" my character and share his opinions on how to improve the sport he loves. I have read a lot of suggestions for improvement over the last few years, and believe me, Buddy would be right there with a few of his own.